The New York Times is tracking the human toll of the conflict in this feature. The primary source is the online video that has allowed a widening war to be documented like no other, and posts try to put the video into context.
Edited by Liam Stack

After taking control of the provincial capital of Raqqa, Islamist fighters filmed a brief interview with two of the rebels' highest-ranking prisoners of war: the governor of Raqqa Province and the local chief of the ruling Ba'ath Party.

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Surrounded by Rebels, High-Ranking Officials Describe Their Capture

This video shows a brief and surprisingly cordial interview that Islamist fighters filmed with the captured governor of Raqqa province, Hassan Jalali, and the local head of the Baath Party, Suleiman al-Suleiman. The two visibly tired and unhappy men sat on ornate couches in a ceremonial room of the governor's palace, a jihadist seated between them. The fighter took credit for their capture on behalf of two Islamist brigades. They are among the highest-ranking prisoners taken by the rebels.

This video in context

What We Know

Raqqa is the first provincial capital to fall to the rebels, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Mr. Jalali said that a gun battle between rebels and soldiers outside his palace ended through negotiation. The rebels who took Raqqa appear to be overwhelmingly from Islamist groups.

What We Don't Know

We do not know what happened to either of these men after this video was made. We do not know what happened to hundreds of government soldiers or Ba'ath Party militia members after rebels took control of the city. We do not know the tactical position of either side elsewhere in Raqqa Province.

Other Videos

Another video featuring the same rebel shows fighters smashing a poster of President Bashar al-Assad and toppling a bust of his father, who was president for three decades, inside the palace. It also briefly shows the governor as one rebel leader describes "storming the building" with his brigade.

Tweets related to this video

al-Raqqa province: Fighters from the al-Nusra front took hold of the political security branch in the al-Raqqa... http://t.co/UP1tRgDtLf